>I disagree with this, since it is always a good idea to wear a helmet, >regardless of age or skill. No matter how good a unicyclist you are, or how >less likely you are to fall on your head than if you were on a bicycle, you >have the exact same chance as the next guy of getting hit by a car (or, as >someone else said in a previous message, a car door). Better safe than sorry.
Extending that line of reasoning, you should always wear a helmet when
you go out for a walk, because, after all, you might get hit by a car or
a car door while walking.
As an IUF Director, I am concerned with (and exposed to some liability
due to) the safety aspects of our sport. My personal choice is to wear a
helmet (as well as kneepads and gloves) for all unicycle track events,
and while learning higher-level skills.
However, I think we ought to consider all the issues involved closely
before issuing blanket statements. Helmets were a subject of fierce
debate at the general meeting of the USA last month in Chariton, Iowa.
Some points made were:
No one present knew of an injury involving a unicyclist in which a
helmet probably would have made a significant difference. There was one
citation of an accident in which someone fell while wearing a helmet,
but I think it turned out that they fell in a way that the helmet didn't
help them.
We haven't been collecting good injury statistics on our sport.
Riding a unicycle on the street, mixed with automobiles and bicycles, is
very different from riding a unicycle on a sidewalk, track, or gym.
If you say, "Wear a helmet while unicycling because it's obviously
safer", are you prepared to extend the same argument consistently to
other sports, such as standard track events?
Helmets are somewhat awkward to wear; in low-speed sports they possibly
might cause more injuries than they prevent.
Craig Milo Rogers
>>I disagree with this, since it is always a good idea to wear a helmet, >>regardless of age or skill. No matter how good a unicyclist you are, or how >>less likely you are to fall on your head than if you were on a bicycle, you >>have the exact same chance as the next guy of getting hit by a car (or, as >>someone else said in a previous message, a car door). Better safe than sorry. > > Extending that line of reasoning, you should always wear a helmet when > you go out for a walk, because, after all, you might get hit by a car or > a car door while walking.
> Craig Milo Rogers
Or when you sit in the audience at a unicycling Renegade show, like Craig.
Sorry, couldn’t resist that!
========================================================
Tim Sheppard tim@lilliput-p.win-uk.net Lilliput Press - Publisher of fine books
in miniature
>Another point that was made at the NUC several times was how much more >confident riders felt wearing a helmet, and that was considered good. Studies >in other areas of safety have suggested, though, that people get more reckless >when they have more safety gear. > >Beirne
We saw this at UNICON. In Britain I have never seen anyone wearing safety gear
for unicycling. We play uni-hockey - a fast game with plenty of collisions -
without safety gear. I’ve hardly seen any injuries, and none of them serious.
But we do adhere to the spirit of the rules, and avoid rough, dangerous
behaviour. When we played at UNICON I saw some other teams, in safety gear,
playing a good deal rougher occasionally. I agree that safety gear encourages
one to feel invincible. People told me that in American football most injuries
are from the safety equipment.
When competitiveness is taken to the extreme, people take greater risks with
other’s and their own safety. But even in competitions, we play for fun so it
hasn’t been a problem.
========================================================
Tim Sheppard tim@lilliput-p.win-uk.net Lilliput Press - Publisher of fine books
in miniature
Craig Milo Rogers <rogers@ISI.EDU> wrote: > As an IUF Director, I am concerned with (and exposed to some liability > due to) the safety aspects of our sport. My personal choice is to wear a > helmet (as well as kneepads and gloves) for all unicycle track events, > and while learning higher-level skills.
Craig’s commitment to safety is indeed impressive. I myself saw him wearing the
protective clothing detailed above while demonstrating some higher-level
harmonica playing late one night at UNICON VIII.
I don’t know if I would recognise him without his kneepads. ;^]
Craig Milo Rogers wrote: >> However, I think we ought to consider all the issues involved > closely before issuing blanket statements. Helmets were a subject of fierce > debate at the general meeting of the USA last month in Chariton, Iowa. Some > points made were: > > 1) No one present knew of an injury involving a unicyclist in which a > helmet probably would have made a significant difference. There was > one citation of an accident in which someone fell while wearing a > helmet, but I think it turned out that they fell in a way that the > helmet didn’t help them. > > 2) We haven’t been collecting good injury statistics on our sport. > > 3) Riding a unicycle on the street, mixed with automobiles and bicycles, > is very different from riding a unicycle on a sidewalk, track, or gym. > > 4) If you say, "Wear a helmet while unicycling because it’s obviously > safer", are you prepared to extend the same argument consistently to > other sports, such as standard track events? > > 5) Helmets are somewhat awkward to wear; in low-speed sports they > possibly might cause more injuries than they prevent. > > Craig Milo Rogers
Another point that was made at the NUC several times was how much more confident
riders felt wearing a helmet, and that was considered good. Studies in other
areas of safety have suggested, though, that people get more reckless when they
have more safety gear.
> >I disagree with this, since it is always a good idea to wear a helmet, > >regardless of age or skill. No matter how good a unicyclist you are, or how > >less likely you are to fall on your head than if you were on a bicycle, you > >have the exact same chance as the next guy of getting hit by a car (or, as > >someone else said in a previous message, a car door). Better safe than sorry. > > Extending that line of reasoning, you should always wear a helmet when > you go out for a walk, because, after all, you might get hit by a car or > a car door while walking. > > As an IUF Director, I am concerned with (and exposed to some
>> Extending that line of reasoning, you should always wear a helmet when >> you go out for a walk, because, after all, you might get hit by a car >> or a car door while walking. >Or when you sit in the audience at a unicycling Renegade show, like Craig.
Hey, there were jugglers in that room! Attempting to learn new moves! I
contend that my choice of headgear was completely rational for the
company I was keeping! :-)
Ctaig Milo Rogers